As an extension of our Women to Watch series, Boshemia introduces Gabriela Reis, a feminist artist, writer, and musician based in Shepherdstown, W.V. Her politically-charged body of work challenges internalized racism and Western standards of beauty while amplifying representation of minority women. She works in ink, acrylics, and coffee. You can find more of Gabi’s work in IG @femart_indigo.

From Gabi:

As a visual artist, writer, and musician, I had never anticipated my work would deviate from contemporary art, heavily driven by neo-feminism and situational comedies; then I began to notice the lack of representation in media and the blatant disregard for the unremitting oppression faced by minorities. As a woman of color, I had become desensitized and had excused our Eurocentric world of its implicit racism. I frequently fought to identify with a world that, though hosted numerous people like me, had made only a handful of attempts to acknowledge my existence; one that seemingly had no qualms with catering to a dwindling “majority.” So I began producing work in hopes to remove a highly specific aesthetic and societal stigma from my visual art. Though my work ranges from photorealism to impressionism, I have intentionally omitted features to provide viewers with a relatable piece that defies societal norms. We are the blood that courses through our veins and not a preconceived ideal that was perpetuated by Westernization.